Getting Pregnant After Giving Birth Should Be Avoided

There is no doubt that having a new born baby is one of life’s greatest joys. Most women feel this experience was the most important and miraculous event that occurs in their lives. However, it is rare for a new mother to excited about the prospect of getting pregnant after giving birth. The body needs time to heal and the new parents obviously want some time to get to know the current addition to the family. Sex immediately following delivery is not usually high on mommy’s priority list, but it will happen and it is important to be prepared.

If you were to do a poll of women who have children close in age, a good percentage of them would say that the younger child was a pleasant surprise. In other words, many unplanned pregnancies occur shortly after the arrival of the first baby. Getting pregnant after giving birth is very common. If you and your partner feel ready to be parents again, great, if not be sure to discuss contraceptive options before those amorous feelings strike again.

After giving birth, most women’s periods begin as soon as 5 to 6 weeks after delivery. At this point getting pregnant after giving birth is completely possible. A new mother who has decided to breastfeed will probably have longer before her cycle begins again. Some breastfeeding mothers do not have a period until after the baby is weaned. Each woman’s body is different though, so taking precautions after delivery is important if a new pregnancy is not desirable at this time.

It is highly unlikely to get pregnant in the three weeks following the birth of a child. After this point things get to be iffy. Believing that because a period has not occurred yet makes getting pregnant after giving birth more likely. You can always hit those ovulation days without realizing it until another little one is on the way. Since most doctors recommend waiting at least two months after a vaginal delivery and sometimes more after a C-section, contraception should not be a problem until after the 6 week checkup. Just be sure to give your chosen method enough time in your system. Before that, a backup alternative may be a wise decision.

As far as what type of birth control depends on the woman and her decision to breastfeed or not. Those who do breastfeed will probably want to choose a non hormonal form of birth control. Anyone else will have more freedom in their method to avoid becoming pregnant after giving birth. Especially after the new arrival, many couples chose to wait before giving parenthood another go.

Christine P Gray is a recognized authority on the subject of pregnancy. Her website Pregnancy Exposed provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you will need to know about getting pregnant. All rights reserved. Articles may be reprinted as long as the content and links remains intact and unchanged.